Atomizer



Jan. 30, 1951 D. J. PEEPS ET AL ATOMIZER Filed Dec. 6, 1947 INVENTORS Patented Jan. 30, 1951 ATOMIZER Donald]. Peeps, Joy B. Schm-itt, and Clyde 0.

Daggett Toledo, (lhio, assignors to The De Villoiss Company, "Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 6, 1947, Serial'No. 790,150

BClaims. (Cl. 29988) This invention relates to atomizers utilizing'air for spraying perfume, toilet water, medicinal preparations and other similar liquids :and perparticularly to such'devces which are com pact and have a liquid sealing :means making .them'suitabl'e for carrying in a pocket .or purse.

A principal object of the invention is the'provision of a more eiiective sealing arrangement.

Another object is the provision of means for preventing the filling of the liquid container to a point where the operation is adversely affected.

A further object is the provision of an atomizer having improved correlation of parts.

A sti'l further purpose is to provide an a r compressing plunger of efiicient and 'durableconstruction.

Another purpose of the invention is to furnish a .cover which has a good retaining joint with the atomizer body.

These and additional objects of the invent on are attained through stop means limiting the movement between the liquid outlet nozzle :and the sealing material which closes the nozzle; by

having a nipple portion extending from therfil-ler opening .into the liquid reservoir; by having a spreader element to hold the plunger leather in contact with the wa ls of the air compression chamber; .by utilizing the cover ior the filling opening .at the top of the atomizer as a finger contact portion oftheplunger and by using the wall of .the opening for .a passage for the atomizing air; and by having the dimensions andcross section of the cover joining portion formed to fit firmly the receiving opening in the body.

In the drawings:

' Figure 1 is a side elevation of the atomizer embodying my invention with the cover in place; Figure 2 is .a similar View with the cover -removed;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the atomizer taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.; I Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2; I I

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the sealing gasket retaining clip; 5 Figure 6 is a plan view of the plunger leather expander; and r V Figure 7 is a vertica .section through the cover taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

As shown, the atomizer has a cover 1 which .i'its into a groove2 within thefiange .3 on the'base cap. The latter is threaded upon the lower end ofthe atomizer body 5. Within the body 5 is a zrieciprocable liquid receptaclefi. Integral with .closure 1 of ,thelxeceptacle. and eatending therethrough is 'anipple 8, the upper portionof which passes through a port 9 in the top I 0 of the body. A filling plug H is threaded into the outer end of the nipple. Within the body below the receptacle 6 is an air compression chamber 12. In this chamber tensioned between the lower end of the receptacle and the bottom of the body, is aspring I3.

Extending downwardly from and integra with the lower end of the receptacle is a ho low stud M. In encircling relation to the stud and backed by the end of the receptacle is a plunger leather I5 with a downwardly turned outer edge l6. This leather is held in place by a 'nut ll threaded to the stud with a plunger leather expander I8, a plain washer l9 and a spring washer 20 interposed between the nut .and the plunger leather.

The nut I! a so holds packing 2! around the lower end of an air tube 22 which passes upwardy through the stud into the receptacle where it is connected to the nipple 8 in communicat'ng relation with passage 23 therein. The latter terminates in a lateral discharge port 24. Through the cover 1 is mounted a liquid discharge tube 25. This reaches to near the bottom of the 'receptacle at its lower end and extends exteriorly to a point in line with the aspirating and atomizing air port 24. A spray discharge opening 26 is located in the wall of the body in front of air port 24. Through the tube 25 at a point slightly. below the cover 1 is a vent opening 21.

In the annular space around the nipple 8 within the upper end of the body 5 is a seal ng gasket 28. This is held in place by a horse shoe shaped clip 29 which has two diametrically opposite indentations 30 which may be seen in Figures 4-.and 5.

.In the operation of this atomizer the cover-i is first removed and the .filler plug 1] with its; gasket .31 unscrewed from the upper endof the nipple 8. The perfume or other liquid to be sprayed, is poured into the receptacle 6 through the nipple 8. The level of the liquid in the receptacle rises until it reaches the edge of the skirt 32 on the lower end of the nipple. With the liquid thus closing the lower opening into the nipple air isflocked within the receptacle above the liquid as the only other outletzfrom the receptacle is out liquid discharge tube 25 and this is normally closed by the sealing gasket 28.-

As more liqu d is poured into the receptacle,- the locked air is compressed and reaches a pres.- sure equal to'atmospheric pressure atwhich point it may no longer be displaced to anyappreciable continued as the liquid may be seen rising into the nipple. The filler plug is replaced and the atomizer is ready to spray. The opening in the side wall of the body is directed toward the cloth or other surface upon which the perfume is desired and by application of a thumb or finger on the top of the filler plug the receptacle 6 with the plunger leather l5 fastened to its bottom end is depressed.

Air in the chamber I2 is thus compressed and forced upwardly through tube 22, passage 23 and out discharge port 24. This air passes in aspirating relation over the outer end of the liquid tube 25, which is drawn downwardly away from the sealing gasket 28 by the downward movement of the receptacle 6 to which it is fixed. This downward movement also brings the discharge port 24 more in line with the opening 26. With the lowering of the atmospheric pressure over the end of liquid tube 25, due to the flow of the atomizing air, the pressure of the air in the receptacle above the liquid will ordinarily drive the liquid out of the tube to be atomized and directed out of the opening 26.

After some of the liquid is discharged from the receptacle, the air confined therein has more room to expand and could thus lose its pressure and liquid expelling force. Such a result is avoided with the vent opening 27' as air under atmospheric pressure travels down the liquid tube and through this opening into th air space above the liquid as the receptacle moves back upwardly under the propulsion of spring l3.

In order therefore to insure an air space above the liquid and one in communication with the vent opening 21, the skirt 32 on the nipple terminates well below the opening.

In the event the atomizer is subjected to a higher temperature, after being filled, through contact with warm clothing the air in the receptacle ma rise to a pressure which would be inclined to force the liquid out too rapidly for proper atomization. The vent opening 27, however, prevents such an occurrence by permitting some of the excessive air to escape at the very first movement of the spraying operation.

The vent opening 27, however, is sufliciently smaller than the main liquid passage through the liquid tube 25 that the aspirating action of the atomizing' air draws liquid upwardly even though there is some flow of air into the tube through the vent opening from the air space in the receptacle above the liquid. 4

When the receptacle 6 returns to its upward position under the influence of spring t3, the end of the liquid tube 25 abuts against the sealing gasket 28. This portion of the sealing gasket lies between the ends of the arms of the horse shoe shaped clip 29 and therefore is not covered by the clip. To prevent too severe an impingement of the tip of the tube against the gasket, which would distort the latter and shorten its life, the indentations 30 on the lower side of the clip stop the upward movement of the receptacle at a predetermined point through their contact with the upper surface of the closure 7 of the receptacle.

' The air compression of the atomizer is reliable due to the spreading action against the plunger leather 15 of the expander I8. This keeps the edge [6 of the leather against the inner cylindrical surface of the body 5 and does not allow any air to escape therebetween during the compression stroke. During the return upward movement of the receptacle the pressure of the expander is not great enough to prevent the entry of replenishing air which travels downwardly between the adjoining walls of the receptacle and body and past the edge 16 of the plunger leather.

The nut l1 serves a dual function by retaining the packing 21 around the tube 22 to prevent a I leak between the liquid receptacle and the air chamber and by holding the expander in place through the interposed washer l9 and spring washer 20. The latter acts as a lock washer for the nut.

The liner 33 in the cap 4 seals the joint between the cap and the body and also affords a good backing surface for the spring.

To insure a non-marring association between the cover I and the body 5 they are dimensioned to have a loose fit and the attaching action is secured entirely between the inner surface of the flange 3 and the lower end of the cover. In order to obtain a friction fit that is fast but may be easily disengaged by hand, the inner diame--' ter of the flange is .7615 plus or minus .001 and th cover is first formed with an outer diameter of .7575 plus or minus .0015 and then the open end of the cover is ex anded along four spaced vertical lines by a fluted tool to a diameter of .7645. This method permits reasonable machining limits to be utilized but provides an effective contacting surface on the cover.

As may be understood, this expanding action enlarges the edge of the cover along the four lines to a diameter greater than the inside diameter of the flange. However, these expanded sections are circumferentially narrow as the flutes of the expanding tool are onl 3 2' wide and the sections are joined by dividing areas which are slightly contracted to a diameter less than the original tube diameter of .7575. Because of the nature of the metal the distorted expanded sections are resiliently supported and will con: tract temporarily when the c ver is inserted into the flange. While forced back to nearer its original circular shape when thus confined, its di s torted sections will press against the flange to ho d the cover in place. y From the above description it will be apparent that the invention resides in certain princig ples of construction and operati n which may be embodied in other physical forms. and it is not desired therefore to be strictly limited to the dis-1 closure, but rather to the scope of the appended claims. Whatis claimedis: 1. In an atomizer of the type described an inner cylindrical liquid receptacle, an outer cyline drical casing within which said receptacle is reciprocally enclosed, a spring within the casing beneath the receptacle and thrust against-the lower end of the receptacle, an upwardly die rected liquid discharge tube extending up through the top of the receptacle, an annular sealing gasket lodged within the upper end of the casing, a portion of said gasket having sealingcontact with the upper end of the liquid tube when the receptacl is held against the upperend of the casing by the spring, a horse shoe shaped ring of the same overall diameter as the sealing gasket and covering the underside of the latter except for a portion betweenthe ends of the horse shoe arms, said portion including that having sealing contact with the upper end of. the liquid tube, and downwardly extending indentations in the 7. ring against which thenupper end of the reg ceptacle abuts when the end" of the liquidtub the receptacle is moving downwardly, and such an atomizer having an air passage tube with its lower end extending through the bottom of the receptacle in communication with the air compression chamber and its upper end extending through the top of th receptacle for atomizing association with the upper end of the liquid discharge tube, a filler nipple on the receptacle extending upwardly through a central opening in the upper end of the casing, and a cap threaded into the nipple serving as a closure and providing a suitable contacting surface for digital operation of the atomizer.

3. An atomizer as set forth in claim 2 in which the upper end of the air passage tube is lodged in a vertical bore in the wall of the filler nipple and a transverse opening through the wall and into the tube provides the discharge outlet for the air.

DONALD J. PEEPS. JOY B. SCHMITT. CLYDE C. DAGGETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,586,044 Reed May 25, 1926 1,811,919 Dardel June 30, 1931 1,824,363 Norgren Sept. 22, 1931 2,081,674 Mehrman et a1. May 25, 1937 2,162,756 Seyforth June 20, 1939 2,176,642 Seyforth Oct. 17, 1939 2,203,576 Mikosz June 4, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 481,485 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1938 

